As I was driving into my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago (before I moved into our new house, which is tiring to even think about, and why I didn’t get a chance to send you this sooner!) I saw a sign taped to a stop sign that read:

College Babysitter
555-555-1212*
*(actual number withheld to spare the poor kid)

Now, it doesn’t take more than about 4 seconds to find your own punchline, but if you’re like me, the first thing your mind conjures up, is probably something like one of the above pictures, or this:

No one gave this “well-educated” college kid the first lesson in marketing! You’ve got to make your message CLEAR and it’s a huge mistake for you to leave room in your message for the consumer to come up with their own objections in their mind, before you even get a chance to sell them on your product or service and why you’re the best for the job.

So, while I’m sure it took a lot of effort for this college kid to write out these words without any text messaging abbreviations (like Nd BBsttr? Txt Me), it would have helped to take a few more minutes to type out a message that might actually get someone to call you that is looking for a babysitter instead of a dogsitter. Here would be my suggestion:

Responsible College Student with 3.99 GPA NOW interviewing for babysitting opportunities for the summer.

*Resume and References Available on Request

Isn’t that a little better? It’s not as much copy as I usually like to write (and I didn’t even make the prospects call a recorded hotline to see if they could follow directions!) but it at least makes it a bit more appealing for parents to call the number to check out the opportunity. Once you get them live on the phone, then it’s much easier to get the job.

The lesson here is don’t take shortcuts when trying to get your message out there. Sure, there are times when you only have a few lines of text, but don’t be lazy, analyze every word to see what needs to be there, what gives the wrong impression, and what doesn’t give the prospect enough information to qualify themselves. If you follow these simple steps, you’ll be ahead of 99% of your competition.

http://tinyurl.com/6kvog9

When I finalized my trip to New York, I decided to take up George Ross, Donald Trump’s Lawyer and Chief Negotiator as well as his board room co-star on The Apprentice, on his offer to visit him at his office next time I was in the city. So I emailed George and we set up a time to visit yesterday morning.

You can see a picture of George and I in his office as well as a short 2 minute video I recorded after our meeting by clicking here:

Photos: http://tinyurl.com/5peokz

Video:

In the short video I reveal a marketing lesson that George and I discussed that you may not be aware of but it’s a great way to isolate yourself from the current economic situation and gives you a tip that you shouldn’t be ignoring in your business.

George and I disagreed a bit on a few issues, but it was a healthy discussion and I am sure George and I will continue to stay in touch and even debate a bit here and there. Hey, we’re lawyers, what do you expect!

Another profound comment that George made, which I think will be useful to you is the fact that:

1. he has been practicing law for over 50 years
2. has been teaching a course on negotiation at NYU, one of the greatest educational institutions in the world, for many years, and
3, has been involved in negotiating some of the biggest real estate deals in history for that past 30 years alongside Donald Trump, who is one of the biggest Celebrity Experts in the media today

but until he got on the Apprentice, no one really cared. He was known in small professional circles and certainly to those who were looking to do a deal with “The Donald,” but he certainly wasn’t known to or revered by the general public the way he is today. Now, George is a very highly sought –after (and highly paid!) lecturer and speaker brought in to many organizations and conferences to reveal his art of negotiation. And the funny thing is he’s no better at it than before he was on the Apprentice! Before, his target audience just didn’t know who he was or what he was great at.

The key point here is: his credentials are secondary to his celebrity status. To paraphrase his own words, he said its awful peculiar how sitting at a board room table sparring with eager young minds once a week for a few months a year, at the right hand of Donald Trump has completely changed his life and gained the respect of the American public as a whole. Isn’t it neat what kind of credibility you can have virtually “assigned” to you just by being in the media with the right message at the right time? I agree and its one of the strategies I teach when I’m lecturing on Celebrity Branding™. I encourage you to think about how you can reach out to your own audience in a similar way to increase your visibility, your demand and your fees.

By the way, if you’re looking for a way to get the George Ross/Apprentice effect in your own business and personal life, shoot me an email at Nick@CelebrityBrandingYou.com. Jack and I have found a way to guarantee that 20 business owners and entrepreneurs will be seen on NBC, ABC, FOX and CBS as well as seen in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal and Newsweek all within the next 12 months.

Alright, that’s about it, hope you have a great rest of the week. As for me I’m heading off to St. Lucia with my wife for our anniversary this weekend. See you when I get back!

Dedicated to bringing out the Celebrity in YOU!

Nick

I can assure you the marketing conferences and meetings I have been
attending have been well worth the trips or you would never get me to
leave my wife and 2 sons to go to any such place! And yes, for those
of you who are wondering, I spend a lot of time and money on personal
development and coaching every year. As a matter of fact, I will
spend well over $30,000.00 this year on seminars, coaching and
information products. I can also tell you that since I have more than
tripled my spending on these items the last 3 years, my income has
tripled as well. Just a quick gut check: are you dedicating the time,
effort and resources to develop your skills so you can make more
money? If you aren’t you should be!

In my travels, I often run into business owners who are caught up in
comparing their businesses to local or national competitors in their
industry. While this can be an effective way to measure some things,
it is also a guaranteed way to achieve moderate success. In order to
achieve extraordinary success, you have to look to extraordinary (or
even “unorthodox”) methods. You’ve got to get outside of what
everyone else is doing in your industry and find some successful
methods that are working in other industries.

*For one example of this, check out Lowe’s Supercenters (yup the
hardware store!) monthly publication Lowe’s for Pro’s this month where
I was interviewed and gave some secrets for unorthodox marketing
practices for landscapers. I can assure you I have never marketed
anything for a landscaper, but the principles I revealed can and
should be used in every business. For a copy, email me.

One of my favorite examples is from a friend of mine, Scott Mueller
who I saw today, who runs a funeral home business. Scott came to a
lot of marketing meetings absolutely green with envy that he could not
do what most other smart businesses are doing: creating what we call
“Continuity Income” in their businesses. For the uninitiated,
Continuity Income is income built on recurring fees like monthly
membership fees, subscription fees or any other fee that you can
charge on a recurring monthly basis. It’s the greatest way to make
money…from the first of the month when you open your doors, you have
made a profit and you just have to be on the lookout for ways to grow
your continuity income and not lose the members you already have. It
sure beats “pay to play” business models where customers come and go
as they please, without being tied to the business in any way or
possibly ever spending any money with you again! Which, by the way,
is the fastest way to a mediocre business that is more of a job than a
profit center. But I digress…

Scott was determined to find a way to grow his profits so he set out
to be the first Funeral Home with Continuity Income. And I will
definitely hand it to him, what he did next was brilliant! Scott
realized that a funeral was really just a stop on the journey that a
family has to embark on, whether it is convenient or not, when they
experience the death of a loved one. What happens before and after
the funeral is a long, often painful, process for many families filled
with fear and worry. Scott realized that what families really wanted,
besides a comforting funeral service, was a way to heal and recover
from the loss of a loved one. So Scott created the only Guaranteed
Family Recovery program. Now Scott’s customers are offered the
opportunity to join a paid grief counseling and recovery program that
walks the family through the recovery process before and after the
funeral. The results have been amazing. Not only in profitability,
but also because his clients are now MUCH more satisfied customers.
Scott now provides a full solution to the problems his customers are
facing.

If Scott hadn’t taken the time to study some other industries and
innovate, then he never would have had this breakthrough. I encourage
you to look for ways to interact with and study what’s working in
other industries and to look for ways to innovate in your own
business. It’s the only way to create an extraordinary business with
extraordinary profits.

If you’d like to challenge Jack and I to find a way to add continuity
to your business, just email us at info@dicksnanton.com. I will post
our answers to the best challenges in my next blog.

P.S. – Our book, Celebrity Branding You, is coming out in bookstores
nationwide within the next 30 days and I’m going on a mini book tour
to launch it. I started the tour in Orlando on June 11 at the Rock
Your Business Power Lunch where I was given the honor of smashing a
guitar! It was quite a thrill. You can see pictures HERE.

If you live in Pittsburgh or Las Vegas, here are some details on the
next couple of events. Come on out and say hi!

June 24 – Pittsburgh, PA
4:30PM-6:30PM

Up A Notch Marketing Seminar
The Pittsburgh Marriott City Center
112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, Pa 15219
Contact Kathy for details @ Kathy@upanotchmarketing.com

June 26 – Las Vegas, NV
11:30AM-1:30PM

Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, Las Vegas Chapter Meetin
Antique Mall
1495 E Flamingo
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Contact Richelle Shaw for details at richelleshaw@gmail.com

If you can stay relevant, and integrate current events, pop culture and news items that your prospects and customers are paying attention to into your marketing, your message will be much better received and it will be more likely that your audience will act on your message.

If you have been reading my posts and articles for the past few months, you’ll notice that I have posted several times about American Idol. It’s currently the biggest show on TV, and I have found several ways to relate it to what I’m talking about. If you haven’t seen those posts (as well as my CORRECT prediction for the American Idol 2008 Top 2 Finalists, David Archuletta and David Cook more than 9 weeks ago!) you can view those here:

The Idol Factor

American Idol 2008 Picks

Ok, so now onto the even better news. The better news is that relevant chatter can have an even bigger effect than the one you expected! Because I have been talking about American Idol and making predictions, I got quoted last year in the Arizona Republic Newspaper on my thoughts on the career of last year’s American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks. And just this week, I was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune on what I thought about David Archuleta’s prospects for a successful career. And the interesting thing about this article is that my quote is not in the company of hacks or has-beens. My quote is right alongside Julianne Hough, winner of Dancing with the Stars, 4 Time Grammy(R) Award Winner, Erykah Badu, and the late, great Waylon Jennings’ son and popular musician, Mason Jennings as well as a who’s who of industry pundits. All of this took place because I was relevant.

And because I am here to show you how I use these strategies to continue the Celebrity Branding(TM) process to get you more clients, here’s what else I did: I had a press release written about my quote in the Salt Lake Times. You can view it here:

Orlando Music Lawyer Nick Nanton Speaks Out on American Idol Finalist David Archuleta

Now the first thing you might ask is, “who cares about a quote in a newspaper? Is any news outlet really going to pick that kind of press up? No way!” This is a great question, and you’re right, no major news outlet will pick this story up, HOWEVER, it is important to note that online traffic is driven through key words and getting press syndicated online is much easier to do than getting it picked up in a major news outlet. That press release will be picked up by literally tens of thousands of websites through online syndication. (If you want to know how to do that, send me an email and I’ll tell you). And every time its syndicated, it includes my key words as well as, the most important part, a link back to my website. Now this link is important because people can now link from the article back to my website, but the even more important factor is that there will now be tens of thousands of websites syndicating my press release that will have a link back to my website, and will be giving Google a “vote” that says, that site is so good I’m going to send my visitors there! This is huge for Search Engine Marketing and for getting great organic rankings (non-paid rankings in Google.

Notice that the subject line contains Key Words I was trying to get attention with: Orlando Music Lawyer (I use this to attract entertainment clients) as well as using David Archuleta’s full name in the subject line. And guess when I released it, May 20th, the day of the final performances. And guess when I’m releasing this blog? May 21st, the day the new American Idol winner will be crowned. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

Just so you don’t have to think it through, lets recap the lesson that can be learned here:

In the past week, the week of the American Idol finals, I have been quoted in a major newspaper along with other celebrities on a subject that is extremely relevant in pop culture (not to mention to my audience of musicians and songwriters who are interested in hiring me to represent them), I had a press release sent out on the wire and posted to my websites on the day of the final American Idol performances and I posted a blog on the day the American Idol for the 2008 season is crowned that discusses the same subject matter. I have also used the key words: David Archuleta, American Idol (no less than 14 times!), David Cook, Jordin Sparks and Orlando Music Lawyer within this post. Do you see a pattern here?

Stay relevant and use keywords online to drive your audience to you. Its one of the most magnetic strategies you can find for attracting people to you.

And now, since I know you’ve all been waiting for my American Idol 2008 pick for the winner, here it is (drum roll please)………

And the Winner of American Idol 2008 will be: DAVID.

If I was smart I would stop there, but I can’t help but try to keep my prediction train rolling. I really think David Archuleta will win (he has the teeny bopper vote on lock down), but I think David Cook will sell more records. I’m more confident that David Cook will sell more records than I am that he will come in second place, but there you have it. And I promise, this is the last you’ll hear from me about American Idol– at least until it becomes relevant again.

In the book, Dr. Luntz discusses the “Beer Factor.” He says that, although many factors weigh into electing a President, one of the most important things a candidate can do to create a loyal following is to sit down and have a beer with potential voters. Bill Clinton was wildly successful due to his charisma and an overwhelming majority of people found him interesting whether or not they agreed with his past. Thus, he passed the Beer Factor test.

The underlying principle here is that he had the ability to connect with people. This principle is one of the pillars on which the concept of Celebrity Branding™ stands. The reason “people buy people” is that a person can engage you more concretely than an inanimate object, logo, or slogan. When was the last time you really wanted to have a beer with Nike? What about Donald Trump?

If I had said Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, your answer would likely have also been yes - but these are not the business minds at work at Nike. They are hired personas Nike chose so that consumers could connect better with the Nike brand. But that is a lesson in itself: a company without a Celebrity CEO has to hire someone else to fill the role.

So our question to you is: Even if you could hire Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, why wouldn’t you also want to leverage your own Celebrity status to get people to connect with your business? We know that it’s much easier on your budget, not to mention the fact that you can control yourself much better than you can control a third party. Just think about what might have happened had your company hired Michael Vick to promote your product. Pretty scary, huh?

You have the power to connect with consumers based on the fact that you share similar traits. We all know that you can’t connect on a personal level with every consumer and, arguably, you shouldn’t try, but you’ve got a better shot at it than anyone else. You know more about your product or service than anyone else and you probably have a great deal more passion for what you do than a Celebrity who just shows up for a paycheck.

Take advantage of this fact! People love to learn more about other people, which is why Celebrity culture has dominated the newsstands and television outlets for years. Take the chance to let your audience know more about you. Take the chance to connect. Let your audience know more about your hobbies, your family, your favorite foods, favorite places to vacation, and even some of the stuff you’re not crazy about talking about. All of these little facts, as insignificant as they may seem to you, make you human and allow others who have similar feelings to connect with you in ways that create much stronger bonds than if they were just reading corporate rhetoric.

Connecting with your consumers breeds much higher customer loyalty and, when leveraged correctly, much higher transaction sizes and profits.

What I have done is started a conversation with them through blogs,
articles, press releases and newsletters. I have literally written my
way into their heads and started a one way conversation. What then
happens, is when I see them, they are eager to fill me in on their
side of the conversation. Its as if the flood gates have finally
opened for them and they can finally tell me what has been on their
minds for months! And what normally ensues is a great conversation
that allows us to get past the normal process of getting to know
someone and earning their trust, even though this is the first time
I’ve ever really met the individual.

Better yet, a lot of times I get direct business or referrals out of
these conversations.

The point here is that you have to take the opportunity to start the
conversation with your prospects– and even your existing clients. I
actually just contributed to an article for a very prominent website
that offers business advice to contractors in the residential and
commercial construction industries about unconventional marketing.
What I told the reporter was that a printed newsletter (yes one that
is actually printed on paper and delivered by the mail man!) is the
most powerful marketing tool any business owner can have.

I gave an example that even in an industry like landscape maintenance,
not only will you get more clients, but you will retain more clients
as well just by “starting the conversation” with clients and
prospects. Stop and think about it for a second– do you ever get the
chance to stop and chat with your gardener or lawn maintenance
personnel? Do you know if they have kids, that they have hobbies and
what they would advise you to do to keep your lawn and garden looking
great with just a few small tips? I would guess the answer is no, but
I would also guess that if you actually knew who this person was you
probably would feel a bit of loyalty and wouldn’t go out looking for
another vendor based solely on price. This is a very simple strategy
that consistently yields amazing results.

And before you go and write off the idea of doing this because it will
take too much effort, don’t be ridiculous. You could simply write a
letter every month in microsoft word and send it out to your clients
and prospects. The tools you use to start the conversation to not
have to be complex, costly, full color and glossy or made up of any
other preconceived notion that you already have. The content is much
more important than the look. Not that a great look isn’t also helpful,
I’m just suggesting that you not get bogged down in the details, just
get started!

So, the next time you are looking for a new way to drum up clients,
increase customer retention and transaction size, just remember, all
you have to do is start the conversation. Myself and the rest of your
prospects will be ready and waiting.

The computer has made many things possible and many common tasks easier. But every sword cuts both ways, and the fact that digital data can be perfectly duplicated has wreaked havoc on many industries. Even though many industries have felt the effects of this phenomenon, one of the most high-profile industries that has received much of the media attention regarding this issue is the music industry.

My answer to the question was that the solution to this problem is what it always has been — there is only one YOU. By that I mean that you can only be in one place at one time, period. You can record a moment in time and duplicate it all you want, but there is a unique and special allure to seeing a celebrity in the flesh. Sure a photo is great, but getting the chance to stand next to you and talk to you is a totally different experience that no perfect copy can recreate.

Most people haven’t taken the time to notice that the live-concert industry has been making money hand-over-fist throughout all of this controversy because nothing takes the place of being in the same place at the same time as the celebrities on stage performing for you. That’s the reason Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the world, has been able to dominate the industry and grow into a multi-billion-dollar entertainment behemoth. The recent news that Madonna signed a deal with Live Nation instead of a traditional record label caught many of us in the industry off-guard, but in hindsight it should have been obvious! In its own words,

“Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online.”

You’ll note that even though Live Nation has an online presence, its main focus is to exploit the offline concerts that it promotes.

So, what does this mean for your business? Well, there is only one YOU. Everything else is relatively easy to copy. A great product, service or process is pretty easy for your competitors to duplicate. The imitations may not be perfect, but they are usually good enough. The one factor that you can control, that has the ability to magnetically attract customers like nothing else, that no one can duplicate is your presence in the business.

No one else can speak to customers in print ads, on the radio, on television and in person the same way you can. No one can connect with the same individuals you can. And most importantly, no one can control how you make your customers feel quite like you can… NO ONE!

So, the best way to avoid what has happened to the music business is to put yourself out in front of your business. Use your unique qualities, qualifications and life experiences to connect with consumers and you’ll quickly see how your competitors will scramble to try keep up, but they won’t ever quite be able to.

The interesting thing about American Idol is, if you watch from the beginning of the season through the first few weeks of auditions, you can clearly see who is talented and who is not and you can usually see why the judges would let certain parties through to Hollywood week. Once you hit hollywood week the “It” factor becomes even more evident. But once the hopefuls take the mainstage, as the top 24, its funny how often I hear myself saying “This guy/girl needs to pack their bags and head home! They are a one trick pony and they already played out the one song they know how to sing in auditions to get to this point.”

The point is that you really only get clarity on who deserves to be there, when you can line up all of the talent at once and COMPARE them. When you can do this it becomes obvious who the best are. This is something that very few of us get to do with the opportunities in our lives. Whether it be investments, business opportunities or even the chance, which I take on every now and then, to pitch a client to the major record labels for a record deal.

When I hear someone sing for the first time in my board room or at a live concert, I can tell if they are talented or not. But, even if I think they’ve got a shot at making it, what I don’t have access to is a place where I can conjure up everyone else at that moment who is going to be making a run at it during the same period of time. That info would make life much easier wouldn’t it?

Well, that’s a tall order, but the real question is: Are you taking the time to lay out all of the opportunities in front of you so you can find the real hits? If not you’re spending a lot of time and energy on opportunities that just may not be hit material. They may look like great opportunities, but they may not look so great next to a couple of other opportunities.

So, take the time to review what’s in front of you, do your research and make sure you are spending your time on the things that will reap the greatest rewards…not on a business that Simon Cowell would call “self-indulgent” or a waste of time.

****
And now what you’ve all been waiting for, here are my 2008 American Idol Picks for who I think will make the top 5:

(There may be some variance here for sure depending on the song choices and how well the contestants can reveal enough personality to cut through the clutter and take the focus off of their voices. But its a bit early to tell that at this point)

1. David Archuletta (and I think he will probably win if he can stay humble)
2. David Cook
3. Michael Johns
4. Carly Smithson
5. Brooke White

The meeting took place in a midwestern town that was practically in the middle of nowhere. I assume this is because it was very inconspicuous and no one there would recognize the celebrities who were present, 20 of the best marketers in the world to be exact.

I don’t know for sure how many total there were, but I do know there were at least 3 private jets at the airport from the members of this group. All that to tell you that this was not a vacation or some gimmicky trade show, these guys were collectively worth hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour and we met for two full days.

I learned about all sorts of new business ventures and consumer trends that are going to take the world by storm in 2008. I learned that in these “hard times” consumer electronics giant Best Buy sold more televisions leading up to the Super Bowl than they ever have before. We even looked at the driving force behind both political parties and what was taking place behind the scenes in order to mount a successful 2008 presidential election campaign.

But what I was really fascinated by, is that fact that no matter what industry these marketers specialized in (including real estate, which is arguably in a very tough position), the fact remains that there is PLENTY of money to be made in this market.

We all hear talk of a recession and it seems like every news channel on television is predicting that “the sky will fall” at any moment. But what makes these marketers so successful is the fact that they don’t listen to anyone, including the news. They find ways to make money in any market. And there’s really only one secret to that: Find the point of pain for the consumer and find a way to meet the need.

It doesn’t matter what economy we are facing, there are always needs that need to be met. And depending on the market, the needs change. If you sit in a corner and sulk about how the world no longer needs your product or service (even temporarily) then you are going to feel the pinch of a tighter economy. If on the other hand, like these uber-successful marketers, you are willing to adapt to meet the needs of the consumer then these times are no different than any others. You still stand to make a fortune (and possible more of a fortune than in good times when everyone else is competing in the market too).

So the next time you hear anyone talking about how the sky is going to fall or that a recession is coming, just be sure to smile and nod while you laugh inside…mostly because that’s one less person competing with you for consumers’ money.

Let’s look at an example. It seems if you slap the word “organic” on any product these days you won’t be able to keep it in stock (and you’ll be able to charge about 10 times the price for it!). You can look at many industries from food to cosmetics and you’ll see that if organic products aren’t already the fastest growing sector, then they will be very soon.

What is Organic? Well there are about a million different definitions online but lets look at a simple definition in the food industry:

Food produced without artificial or chemical fertilizers or pesticides. (source: thefoody.com/glossary/glossaryo.html)

Translation: food grown the “old fashioned” way. Organic food has become a new craze but if you were able to communicate with your great-great grandmother, she would tell you that you’d be a fool to try to grow food any other way. It was just the way things were done back then…and now it’s the hottest thing you can do.

What was old is new again.

And here are just a few examples of other industries “bringing back the old school” and making a killing doing it:

1. Custom Made Clothing – http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/
2. “Vintage” T-shirts - http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=TRUNK-WS252&c=Trunk
3. Vinyl Records - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html
4. New Cars that look like their “classic” predecessors - http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-06-27-mustang-usat_x.htm

And those are just a few examples.

The Point is, What’s Old is New Again!

So, take a look back in the archives of your business or industry and see what you can “bring back” and charge higher prices for!

Come up with some examples, send them to me and I’ll post them.